This is the kind of book that would make award winning blogger CrimeBookJunkie say 'holy flaming sh*tballs', however, Noelle won't be reviewing Dead Inside because she wrote it! That's right, top blogger CrimeBookJunkie has turned into bestselling author Noelle Holten. I can say bestselling with some degree of proof as Dead Inside was THE top selling book at Newcastle Noir 2019. Luckily, I grabbed a copy on day one of the festival as I saw the pile rapidly depleting.

I've followed Noelle Holten on social media for quite some time and, having read her amazing book reviews, I knew I was in for a gripping and hugely entertaining story but to be honest, every single thing about Dead Inside exceeded my expectations. The characters themselves are a who's who of the blogiverse, named after some of the best book bloggers out there, and the plot itself is simply stunning.

I'm not giving away any of this amazing story, other than to talk a little bit about what is already in the blurb. It is a story about domestic violence so it is sometimes difficult to read; as a former probation officer, and through her own personal experiences, Noelle has a gritty and no holds barred style of writing which adds to the authenticity of the story. The domestic abuse gets turned on its head as the beaters become the beaten and, even though it's fiction, it's so realistic that I actually felt a little guilty enjoying the wife-beaters getting their comeuppance.

Dead Inside is a phenomenal debut and I was gripped from start to beyond the end as a little thread of intrigue is left dangling to lead us very nicely into book 2. Dead Inside is definitely the book to read this year and I'm wishing the year away already as I can't wait for Dead Wrong, the next DC Maggie Jamieson instalment to be released in November 2019.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

LOVED IT! LOL
Sorry couldn't remove from my shelf until I rated it. Hard-hitting, authentic and compelling have been some ways this book has been described. It was an incredible journey behind the scenes of the various agencies involved in solving crimes.

I like to read fiction by debut authors and give them every chance, however NetGalley require me to give an honest review. Firstly, it was a sobering insight into domestic abuse and a difficult topic to address and for that the book has my praise. Unfortunately I found the book rather disjointed and at times read rather like a manual for professionals rather than an interesting and thought provoking story. The knowledge of the probation and police professions was obviously understood but the procedures were sometimes too detailed to make for interesting reading. It was as though each stage had to be clarified in order to make the uninformed reader understand whereas some more subtle writing would have achieved this without the unnecessary embellishments. I assumed the main character was Lucy and was surprised to realise some way through the book that it was actually Maggie who I found to be arrogant at best. She seemed to think her opinion and insights were far better than those of her superiors and I certainly didn’t warm to her and do not feel I could read another book involving this detective. I didn’t enjoy writing this negative review but hope the author will accept the constructive criticism.

Great debut by a skilled storyteller who clearly knows her stuff regarding the probation service. Authentic, chilling and nail biting. Despite the large cast of characters, the plots weaved nicely together. Looking forward to number 2

#NetGalley #DeadInside This is the first book in a new DC Maggie Jamieson series and I always love to be in on the start of a new police procedural. As the first in the series, I expect that it will take a while to get to know the main characters but I was a little disappointed that we didn't really get in to the police side of things until the last third of the book, the first two thirds being taken up with more of the stories of the probation service and the victims stories. Whilst this in itself was interesting - and it was good to have a different perspective from the probation side - it felt a little disjointed at times and it took me an age to read and as I kept having to remind myself of the characters and their stories. I guessed the twist at the end with the real killer long before it was divulged. When Maggie finally got into the swing of things it was a good and enjoyable read and little snippets leave us hanging on for the next in the series. For me, a good but not great read but I will be interested to read the next installment to see where this goes.

This is the first of the DC Maggie Jamieson series and we are introduced to Maggie on her first day at the newly formed Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit. She has been transferred from the murder team but is soon investigating another suspicious death. Maggie is haunted by a previous case and I predict that we have only seen a tiny sample of Maggie's character.

The bodies of three males are found in succession, and they all seem to have one thing in common. The victims have all been accused of domestic abuse in the past. The team must investigate quickly before the serial killer acts again, but no other direct links are apparent.

The story mainly involves probation officer, Lucy Sherwood whose work links directly to the DAHU team. By day, Lucy is totally professional, her career as a probation officer means that she interviews ex-offenders on a daily basis. When she returns home, however, Lucy's life takes a far different turn. Shockingly there are bizarre parallels between her home and work life, but Lucy is determined to keep the two separate.

Lucy's husband Patrick is a sinister character, sending cold chills one minute then transforming into a charismatic partner and devoted father the next. The image of Patrick reeking of beer and listening around corners was truly disturbing, yet I was utterly compelled to carry on reading. The subject of domestic violence is complex with many silent sufferers and I was struck by how it affects not just the victims, but also the children in these toxic relationships.

Dead Inside portrays the subject of domestic abuse from every angle, at times it is a harrowing read but so honest and insightful. The plot keeps up a steady pace throughout, there are many characters and separate storylines but the writing flows seamlessly. The author knows the probation service inside and out and her expertise shows because the story has an authentic feel. An astounding debut from a talented author and I hope we will be hearing much more from DC Maggie Jamieson and her team in the future.

I love reading fast paced mysteries and thrillers involving police and crime scenes so I thought this book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I found it fairly predictable. The book didn’t really hold my attention and draw me in the way other thrillers do. I thought the parts looking into the minds of domestic abuse victims and the abusers was interesting - it shows the reader why victims stay with their abusers for so long while enduring so much. In the end, I felt like it was a very generic thriller book that didn’t contain a lot of pizazz or spark within the plot or characters.

Dead Inside – Noelle Holten

Congratulations Noelle your first foray into the murky side of the world is a definite success. Not only have you written a pretty decent police procedural you’ve created an interesting new British police procedural series. Oh and the lead protagonist is shaping up to be quite a character Detective Constable Maggie Jamieson. I’m hoping that we are going to be seeing/reading more about the Probation side of things; I found that to be quite interesting it made a refreshing addition.

Bang! First day back at work with a new team and Maggie is off and running there’s been a murder. The Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit (DAHU) that is set up is a new initiative to finally recognise that more often than we are aware of go hand in hand and this should be the way it’s done. The first case with them is the murder of a known perpetrator of physical abuse this is just the beginning. I’m not sure if I’m unhappy that not one, not two or even three bodies turn up all of them being physical and mental abusers.

Lucy Sherwood is a probation officer with a professional persona who takes no prisoners (pardon the pun) from her clients. Married to Patrick who is everything that she despises in men, who behaves despicably towards Lucy. One thing that surprised me it probably shouldn’t have was the double life that Lucy was prepared to live. The way that she covered up bruises and trotted out the usual lies to hide what was going on at home. It shows that we never ever really know how some people live until we walk a mile in their shoes or as my dad would have said ‘you never know what goes on behind closed doors’.

Domestic violence is wrong in every single way and not one person deserves it be they male or female. I will be honest and say that this could be a harrowing read and if you are or maybe have been a victim of either domestic violence and rape or even both.

Noelle Holten writes in graphic but not gratuitous detail about the violence and the rape. There are times during my read that I found myself being moved to tears and then at others unable to either empathise or sympathise with some of the victims in this novel. I know in my heart it is purely because I’ve been fortunate that it’s never happened to me.

Authors who delve into this side of life have a huge responsibility to get it right, if there is a such a thing as a right way. These topics are super sensitive at the moment especially with the #metoo movement.


Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads. Killer Reads

On reading this book, you may be surprised to realise that is it the Noelle’s first book. The story is well structured and moves along at pace.

For this first book in the DI Maggie Jamieson series, the story revolves around Lucy Sherwood and her violent relationship with her husband. Even if you know someone who has been in an abusive relationship, you never know what being in that situation is like. The constant mental and physical anguish, walking on eggshells and changing your whole personality just to placate your partner. Noelle has managed to capture the essence of this horrible mindset and get it onto paper, the fear and dread is very real. Domestic violence is sadly part of our world and makes for difficult reading but this issue drives the story along and hopefully will enlighten some readers to the circumstances some women and men find themselves in every minute of every day.

Noelle’s extensive knowledge of the legal system is evident, the book has an authenticity to it as you read the conversations between the liaising agencies. It was also interesting to get a small insight into Probation Officers as most crime novels focus solely on the Police teams.

Whilst Lucy is struggling with her home life, her day job is as a probation officer dealing with domestic abusers. So she has to be professional and try and help these men who are exactly like her husband.

DI Maggie Jamieson and the team are dealing with a murder of a well known woman beater, most of the force think he got what he deserved, but when another two bodies are found they realise they are dealing with a serial killer. The only connection between the three? Lucy Sherwood is their Probation Officer…….

An excellent debut novel and I can’t wait for the second one, Dead Wrong which you can preorder here

Staffordshire has a critical domestic abuse problem. Because of this, a new, specialized police team called DAHU (Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit) have been set up to deal with murders linked to domestic abuse. In addition, Staffordshire is experiencing an increasing number of substance abusers. The two problems act like nitro and glycerin.

New to the DAHU team is DC Maggie Jamieson. Also new to the team is the goth-dressed criminal psychologist Dr. Kate Moloney.

MY THOUGHTS

I was excited to learn that one of the bookbloggers I've followed for some time had written a book. I was tickled to read many familiar names sprinkled throughout the novel (the author used several of her bookblogger friends' names for her characters).

The subject matter of the novel is quite dark and disturbing. Spousal abuse/domestic violence is a difficult topic, but one in which this author is very knowledgeable - having worked as a probation officer herself. She knows her subject, and it shows. She seems to have an innate understanding of the abuser's psyche - and a knowledge of the cycle of abuse.

I thought that the novel had rather too many characters and found that less would have been more in this case. The protagonist should have been policewoman Maggie Jamieson as this is the first in the D.C. Maggie Jamieson series. However, after reading the book, I clearly felt that probation officer Lucy Sherwood was the protagonist.

Lucy Sherwood was a likable character, yet I was very frustrated with her. She has made her career working with violent offenders/abusers, yet she is abused herself. Surely she would have been more keen to escape her dire situation - and given her line of work had the gumption to do so. I understand that she was thinking of her husband's children, yet surely even they would have been better off out of that abusive environment...

The narrative was written skillfully and kept me interested in the outcome. This debut novel will be (and has been) enjoyed by many readers. I'll be interested in what this talented author will write next. All in all, "Dead Inside" was a strong debut.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a heavy read, moving through a large number of characters affected by domestic abuse. Despite hints of a serial killer, the murder investigation is not the book's priority. Instead, it focuses on the characters' relationships and how they are connected with one another.

I thought the writing is persuasive and heartbreaking especially when we spend time with Lucy Sherwood, one of the main characters. As a victim of domestic abuse, she is a shadow of herself. It was tough to read scenes between her and her husband as they are fraught with violence. It might be a triggering factor for some readers, so take that as a note.

The author has a background in Probation Service and this comes across clearly in the procedures detailed in the book. Particularly, on DAHU and the bureaucracy involved in making a multi-agency team work. Besides Lucy, we also spent time getting to know Maggie and her new workplace. I liked Maggie's interactions with her colleagues and I'm also intrigued by the possibility of Maggie exploring her identity as a bisexual woman perhaps in future books.

The large cast of characters is unfortunately one of the weaknesses of the book. We spend a lot of time with characters that I felt were not important, so that at times the story lost focus. When the reveal of the killer came, there was no suspense or surprise. Although a final twist at the end left a positive note for me. Overall, a decent debut that will appeal with many crime fiction fans.

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review/opinion. This book was great! So many twists and turns! Also, yes murder is illegal, but the way the author writes, you root on the killer. Well I did! Fun read.

A well paced, gripping thriller - the subject matter, whilst a tough read and triggering, helped the plot to feel realistic. I felt rather a lot of hints were given as to who the murderer was, and perhaps gave the game away a little early, but this didn't prevent me enjoy this read immensely!

I seriously don’t know where to start with my review…heck why not the beginning?

I love a good prologue, it can make the book for me and Dead Inside‘s opener oh my, it’s a cracker. I really felt the fear as I read. This fear resonates throughout the book. The underlying theme of domestic abuse gives a sinister undertone to the book. Who really knows what happens behind closed doors?!

It is amazing how different people can be when they’re at work. We all have a work persona, it just varies how different we are compared to our home life and Lucy is a prime example of an extreme. Living in fear at home but becoming a woman not to be messed with in the day job. I was desperate for Lucy to leave Patrick, he’s such a nasty piece of work – I hated him. His thought process and logic were diabolical, its not often a character can invoke such a feeling in me that I personally want to go and kill him myself but he was it. Don’t get me wrong, there are characters I’ve met that I’ve hated and would have happily bumped off but this man made my blood boil. The effect he has on Lucy and those around him is horrifying and I’ve got to admit, he felt real.

Now then, Maggie. She’s a bit of a character. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. She knows when to trample on toes but she’s got the total tact needed both in a police officer but in the interviews she has to conduct with those left behind by these brutal vigilante murders. The team around her all bring their strengths and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all a lot better!

Noelle Holten is someone to watch. Dead Inside is a pacey twisty turny police procedural crime thriller with a difference. The characters filled my imaginary world of Markston like real people in a real town, living and breathing, their lives affected by these gruesome murders. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I can’t wait to read Dead Wrong when it comes out later this year.

Interesting thriller, well-plotted, with strong characters. Had worked out who the serial killer was but it didn't deter from my enjoyment.. A wee bit far-stretched in places. Fans of psychological twisty thrillers will enjoy this.

Absolutely fantastic! You’re drawn straight into the story and it’s keeps you turning pages. Sensitive subject matter - spousal abuse & alcoholism. This is one of those that you get so drawn into that before you know it, you’ve finished the book. Cannot wait for the next instalment!

I was very excited to read Dead Inside by Noelle Holten, a fellow book blogger who writes brilliant reviews and is very well known in the book world. But I was also a little bit worried, what would I do if I didn’t like the book? Or if it was poorly written?

Of course when it came to it I didn’t have to worry, Dead Inside is a confident debut novel that is very well written and a great read.

This book is the first in the DC Maggie Jamieson series, Maggie has just transferred to a different team, one that focuses on domestic violence. She’s looking forward to the break from murder but it isn’t long before she discovers that her new role won’t be as easy as she thinks when people start dying.

Lucy Sherwood is a probation officer, by day she works with abusers who treat women terribly and she manages to stand strong and not let them intimate her. But when she goes home in the evening, Lucy is a very different person as she is living with a man who is just as bad as those she works with.

Despite this being a Maggie Jamieson novel I felt that the book was more about Lucy and she was the one that I enjoyed reading about the most. Her job is interesting and I loved hearing about her work and how she justified her home life and staying with her abusive partner. But when men linked to Lucy start dying Maggie and her team must look at her and whether she is capable of murder.

This book really kept me guessing, I couldn’t work out who was killing these men and why. There were too many people who wanted them dead and so many people appeared guilty and potentially capable of doing it.

The writing is confident and the author’s experience of working in probation clearly shows. The domestic violence angle made me think and further understand the difficulties people have and why leaving is so hard.

I am looking forward to book two, but I really hope that Lucy will be returning too.

Thrilling read. Exciting and very fast paced. Easy to read and it was very well written. Great read that you can’t put down

That's the million dollar question, what DOES TWG think? I'd be lying if I said that 'Dead Inside' took me ages to read, because it didn't. Far from it actually. I think I demolished the entire story in a couple of hours! One minute I was at 18%, and then the next I was updating my Goodreads to show that I had completed it! What a read! I have never, ever read anything like it before.

If you've been following this authors blog before she became an author, you'd know that she used to work in Probation. Her knowledge in that topic is extremely evident throughout the entire storyline, and I thought that that gave the story the edge that maybe some other books in this genre would be missing out on. 

'Dead Inside' is entered around domestic abuse, a topic which is very hard-hitting to read on its own, let alone being the main premise of a crime novel. Noelle Holten hasn't just dumped the topic in her book and went on her merry way, she pulled the topic to shreds and highlighted the impact that domestic abuse has on the victim, as well as the people around them. She has also laid it bare as to how manipulative abusers can be, and how they can get what they want at the click of their fingers. On a personal level, Holten nailed the emotional devastation and, whilst it took me back to a dark time in my past, I appreciated the realism. There's nothing worse than reading about a topic in a book, only to find it isn't realistic at all, and unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, in this instance it is highly realistic and brilliantly done.

Now, I like a jam-packed novel as much as the next person, but for me, I felt that there was too much going on at times. Not only did the storyline cover abuse, it also covered murder, psychological issues, coercive control, blended families, drugs and alcohol abuse. I couldn't keep up at times with the to-ing and fro-ing between each situation, as well as the snippets from different points of view, and so forth. I can appreciate that all of the topics were related to the storyline and what the author was trying to achieve, but I think I would have been less dizzy if there were a few less things to focus on, instead putting more detail into the other sections. But that's just me.

Overall, I was very impressed by the strength of Noelle Holten's debut novel - she clearly has the talent there to hook her readers and leave them wanting more, and I think that her background has helped to put her novel a cut above the rest. 'Dead Inside' is such an intense, fast paced, gripping read which left me really annoyed when it had finished - I wanted more! Looks like Noelle Holten is now an author to watch!!

This was a good fast-paced mystery that kept you on your toes throughout! The characters, and especially the descriptions of domestic violence and the feelings of both the victims and the perpetrators were well fleshed out and empathetic. There were a few brief points in the text that were a bit convoluted in wording or seemed to jump a bit (mainly in the questions of the detectives), but these did not detract from the overall story.